Who ever spent on Express Shipping from Shop-at-Home wasted their money. I ordered on Thursday (with standard shipping), last night I found the delivery confirmation in my mail box, today (Saturday) it arrived. Kudos to S@H for great service!

This is what arrived (pics = links):

I read "Ghess". That's probaly the reason for this set's number G678...
The box design is the noblest box design of a LEGO set I've ever seen. And it's really as sturdy as a suitcase should be. It's even so sturdy that you hardly get the display frame off the "letter case" where the figs lay in. (The LEGO logo on the transparent part of the frame is mirrored from my wall. Yes, I have the LEGO logo there.)

Anyway, LEGO is evil. If any prove for this thesis was necessary we get one (actually two) with this chess set:

No surprise, the board is glued. That's not even the evil thing I was speaking about. However, if you open the box like anybody who was raised in the western culture would open a book you are forced to play the Black side. LEGO makes you act evil! LEGO makes you the Shadow King! How evil is that, huh?
The board is with five tiny velcro dots fixed to the lid of the box. I wonder how often you may be able to attach the board and get it loose until the velcro dots will get ripped out...
I tried to get a black 4×4 plate loose off the white baseplate and I was able to take a look between. Don't even bother with trying to get the glued plates off: the glue has destroyed the studs on the white baseplate anyway. Alas!

Now for the figs. As Jan and Jake already stated they are not glued at all. We have:

1. The Black King

He's basically a well known Shadow knight with a cape and a crown plus a large sceptre.

2. The Black Queen

Whew! she's scary. Frankly, if I was the Black King I wouldn't like to share the bedroom with her...
She's wearing a Vladek armour with nothing underneath (No fear, she's not naked but plain black), a black dress (a 2×2×2 slope with bottom tube) and a black cape.

3. The Black Bishops

That's the second prove for LEGO to be evil: The bishop is your average Vladek. What religion might that be that allows Vladek to be a bishop? LEGO goes Chu.rch of Sa.tan¹ or what?

¹) The . are supposed to safe the CC-forum from being found through a google search for the CoS.

4. The Black Knights

This is a good source for vladekish horse helmets. I would have liked it better, though, if the black robot arm was black instead of (new) grey. The black 2×3 slopes have a smooth surface, different from the average roof brick surface.

5. The Black Rooks

Not much to say here. You get a (new) darkgrey halberd and a dark red flag. The red 2×2 round plates are not dark but normal red.

6. The Black Pawns

This is a Shadow knight with Joe-Freeman-face (like in the polybag set #5998) but with an accurate barbute helmet (unlike #5998). So be happy and rejoice! they are your ultimate source of Shodow knights.

7. The White King

That's basically King Mathias with a cape and a sceptre. I like that cape, it's the first grey one as far as I know. And I like the silver antenna with the light blue cone.

8. The White Queen

Her royal majesty is a chinese lady! Her face is from the Chinese Girl of the Orient series, though she's probably older as the colour of her hair seems to prove. She shares the hairdresser with Professor Dumbledore.
Underneath her Jayko armour she's wearing plain babyblue, and she also comes with a grey cape.

9. The White Bishops

Is the Chess kingdom Anglican? If they are catholic: Poor Jayko! He'll never have a wife. On the other hand that means that the babyblue population will be coming to an end...

10. The White Knights

Same goes for the whithe horse as for the black one. Except the (new) grey robot arm is appropriate here.

11. The White Rooks

Not much to say here, either. For those building with new grey parts this is a nice source of (new) grey 2×2 round bricks. And fourbladed pikes are useful as well. The two 2×2 round plates are babyblue, and so is the flag.

12. The White Pawns

Now those are curious. The torso is that Jayko torso from the tabletop game and from the clocks. The babyblue helmet and the crossbow are ... funny at least. Not sure how useful they are. Anyway. But where does this face come from? First guess was: It's Danju. But it's not. Second guess was: It's the wizard from the Citadel set. But it's not either. So I humbly have to admit I do not know what else fig comes with that face. Is it an entirely new one? Is it a pattern from any licenced line but on a yellow head?

So much for the figs.

Well, one fig finally found its home: , although that's obviously not to the other kings' taste:

With that I leave.

Bye
Jojo

(If the admins think this post would better be in a new thread just go ahead and move it.)

Last edited by Jojo on Sat Jun 11, 2005 4:51 pm, edited 2 times in total.

This is just the sort of nonsense up with which I will not put.Winston Churchill

Great review! Thank you very much. I plan to buy 3 of these. That head on the blue pawns is pretty cool and 8 shadow knights! Awesome. Yes, the baby blue is a bit odd but, hey, using it will be a good challenge.

Thanks for the review, Jojo! I am most ecstatic that the figures are not glued. King Mathias looks much better with the cape, and the queens aren't that bad. (Okay, bad choice of words for the evil one...) I, personally, don't mind the light blue – in an entire faction of it, I don't think it looks at all bad.

Actually I'm a bit disappointed because the idea is great and the box is amazing but they could have made it so much better. The queens, the horses and rooks are pretty poor. And not sure what to do with cyan Kettle and Crossbows but I'm glad the set is not glued